Self-Hosting Monica CRM with Docker Compose

If you struggle to remember birthdays, keep track of who you last talked to, or recall what someone’s kids are named — Monica was built for exactly that problem. It’s a personal CRM that helps you organize your relationships the way a sales CRM organizes leads, except the “leads” are your actual friends and family.

Monica replaces scattered notes, forgotten conversations, and the guilt of losing touch. Unlike corporate CRMs like Salesforce or HubSpot, Monica focuses on personal relationships — logging calls, tracking gift ideas, remembering important dates, and journaling interactions.

Prerequisites

• A Linux server (Ubuntu 22.04+ recommended)
• Docker and Docker Compose installed (guide)
• 1 GB of free RAM (minimum)
• 2 GB of free disk space
• A domain name (optional, for remote access)

Updated March 2026: Verified with latest Docker images and configurations.

Docker Compose Configuration

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

services:
  monica:
    image: monica:4.1.2-apache
    container_name: monica
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      db:
        condition: service_healthy
    ports:
      - "8085:80"
    environment:
      - APP_ENV=production
      - APP_DEBUG=false
      - APP_KEY=${APP_KEY}
      - APP_URL=${APP_URL}
      - APP_TRUSTED_PROXIES=*
      - DB_CONNECTION=mysql
      - DB_HOST=db
      - DB_PORT=3306
      - DB_DATABASE=monica
      - DB_USERNAME=monica
      - DB_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}
      - CACHE_STORE=database
      - SESSION_DRIVER=database
      - QUEUE_CONNECTION=sync
      - MAIL_MAILER=log
    volumes:
      - monica-storage:/var/www/html/storage
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:80"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3
      start_period: 60s

  db:
    image: mariadb:10.11
    container_name: monica-db
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=monica
      - MYSQL_USER=monica
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}
    volumes:
      - monica-db:/var/lib/mysql
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "healthcheck.sh", "--connect", "--innodb_initialized"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
      start_period: 30s

volumes:
  monica-storage:
  monica-db:

Create a .env file alongside:

# Generate with: echo "base64:$(openssl rand -base64 32)"
APP_KEY=base64:CHANGE_ME_GENERATE_A_REAL_KEY

# URL where Monica will be accessed
APP_URL=http://localhost:8085

# Database passwords — change these
DB_PASSWORD=change-me-strong-password
MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=change-me-root-password

Start the stack:

docker compose up -d

Initial Setup

After the containers start, Monica runs database migrations automatically on first boot. This takes 30-60 seconds. Access the web UI at http://your-server:8085.

1. Click Register to create your first account
2. Fill in your name, email, and password
3. After registration, you’ll land on the dashboard

To disable public registration after creating your account, add APP_DISABLE_SIGNUP=true to the Monica service environment variables and restart.

Configuration

Setting	Variable	Default	Description
Application URL	APP_URL	—	Must match how users access Monica
Debug mode	APP_DEBUG	false	Never enable in production
Registration	APP_DISABLE_SIGNUP	false	Set true after creating your account
Mail driver	MAIL_MAILER	log	Set to smtp for email notifications
Cache	CACHE_STORE	database	Use redis for better performance
Queue	QUEUE_CONNECTION	sync	Use redis for background processing

Email Configuration

For birthday reminders and notifications, configure SMTP:

environment:
  - MAIL_MAILER=smtp
  - MAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
  - MAIL_PORT=587
  - [email protected]
  - MAIL_PASSWORD=your-app-password
  - MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
  - [email protected]
  - MAIL_FROM_NAME=Monica

Advanced Configuration

Adding Redis for Performance

For faster caching and background job processing:

services:
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    container_name: monica-redis
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - monica-redis:/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "redis-cli", "ping"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 3

volumes:
  monica-redis:

Then update Monica’s environment:

environment:
  - CACHE_STORE=redis
  - REDIS_HOST=redis
  - REDIS_PORT=6379
  - QUEUE_CONNECTION=redis

Full-Text Search with Meilisearch

For fast search across contacts:

services:
  meilisearch:
    image: getmeili/meilisearch:v1.6
    container_name: monica-search
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - MEILI_NO_ANALYTICS=true
    volumes:
      - monica-search:/meili_data

Add to Monica’s environment: SCOUT_DRIVER=meilisearch and MEILISEARCH_URL=http://meilisearch:7700.

Reverse Proxy

For HTTPS access, place Monica behind a reverse proxy. With Nginx Proxy Manager, point your domain to monica:80 on the Docker network. Set APP_URL to your HTTPS domain and ensure APP_TRUSTED_PROXIES=* is set.

See Reverse Proxy Setup for detailed instructions.

Backup

Back up these volumes:

• monica-storage — uploaded files, avatars, documents
• monica-db — all contact data, activities, notes

Database backup:

docker exec monica-db mysqldump -u monica -p monica > monica-backup.sql

See Backup Strategy for a complete approach.

Troubleshooting

APP_KEY Error on Startup

Symptom: “No application encryption key has been specified” error. Fix: Generate a proper key: echo "base64:$(openssl rand -base64 32)" and set it in your .env file. The key must start with base64:.

Blank Page After Login

Symptom: White screen after logging in. Fix: Check that APP_URL matches exactly how you access Monica (including port). Clear the cache: docker exec monica php artisan cache:clear.

Storage Permission Errors

Symptom: “Permission denied” errors when uploading files. Fix: The storage volume must be writable by www-data (UID 33): docker exec monica chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/storage.

IntlException on Contact Pages

Symptom: “Constructor failed” error viewing contacts. Fix: This affects some locale configurations. Set LANG=en_US.UTF-8 in the container environment.

Resource Requirements

Resource	Minimum	Recommended
RAM	256 MB	512 MB
CPU	1 core	2 cores
Disk	500 MB (app)	2 GB+ (with uploads)

MariaDB adds ~200 MB RAM. Total stack: ~500 MB minimum.

Verdict

Monica is the best personal CRM for self-hosting. Nothing else in the open-source world combines contact management, relationship tracking, activity logging, and gift/debt tracking in such a polished package. It’s built specifically for personal use — not a stripped-down enterprise tool.

The trade-off is that Monica v4 development has slowed (last release May 2024), and v5 is still in beta. For now, v4.1.2 is stable and fully functional. If you want a CRM for business leads, look at SuiteCRM or Twenty instead.

FAQ

Can Monica import contacts from Google Contacts?

Yes. Export from Google Contacts as vCard (.vcf), then import via Monica’s Settings → Import. The vCard importer handles names, emails, phones, and addresses.

Does Monica support multiple users?

Yes. Each user gets their own contact database. Users don’t share contacts by default. Disable registration after setup with APP_DISABLE_SIGNUP=true.

How does Monica compare to a spreadsheet for tracking contacts?

Monica adds structure that spreadsheets lack: automatic birthday reminders, activity timelines, relationship links between contacts, gift tracking, and journal entries tied to specific people. A spreadsheet doesn’t remind you to call your mom.

Related

• Best Self-Hosted CRM
• Monica vs Twenty CRM
• Self-Hosted Alternative to Salesforce
• Self-Hosted Alternative to HubSpot
• SuiteCRM Self-Hosting Guide
• Twenty CRM Self-Hosting Guide
• Docker Compose Basics
• Reverse Proxy Setup
• Backup Strategy